| Destiny of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Seventeen ____________________________________ |
| dd |
The Christmas Song
Meanwhile, the girls stayed behind to chat with Rebecca, and they urged her to try her new top on, so she did! And because she loved the top as well as the gesture, they all agreed to pop in at Mary's chamber so Rebecca could thank her.
So as they stood outside Mary's chamber, they loudly whispered, "Mary are you awake?"
To which Mary replied, "Oh lands sakes yes! Come in girls."
And when Mary noticed them all in their new designer tops, she exclaimed, "Ah, you are all wearing your new garments! Rebecca Dear, how do you like yours?"
As Rebecca hugged Mary, she replied, "I like it very much, thanks for making it for me Mary."
In reply, Mary warmly said, "You are so welcome."
And it was then as the girls looked around, they could see Mary was in the middle of gift wrapping, and so they asked, if she needed any help.
Saying she would love help wrapping the children's gifts, Mary then looked
about and then instructed, "Let's see, I have a bit of a system here, so what
I've been doing is popping an afghan from this chair, into either a red or green bag, which are stacked on this chair here, and then tie a contrasting colored bow around it, and golly where did I put the bows, oh yes, the bows are right behind me in this basket on the floor...AND then stack the wrapped gift over on the table in the corner...and that's about it...got it?"
Saying they had gotten it...the girls stepped into action! And as she worked with the bags, Rebecca asked, "Are these bags what you wanted the red and green candle dye for Mary?"
Saying they were, Mary added, "Since my doilies turned out to well...I thought why not try it on the burlap bags our potatoes come in. William has quite a few bags stockpiled, and with a little arm twisting, finally said I could have some."
Brooke checked them out closer, and said, "You died these? They turned out so cute! You sure have a gift working with material Mary."
To which Jamie whole-heartedly agreed, and then cleared her throat, as she hesitantly asked, "Which brings me to ask another favor Mary, I found another top in the same magazine...maybe when you have time...you could help us knock off another design?"
With a smile, Mary replied, "Oh dear, perhaps I shouldn't have introduced that terminology to you girls. Maybe we should use a more respectable term for our projects Jamie...but yes, when our calendar is clear, I would love to help."
So as the last afghan was bagged, Mary offered, "Let's have some sassafras tea shall we? I have the water steeping hot."
And so as Mary prepared their cups, she sighed, "Oh deary me, I am getting low on my tea supply...but luckily, we have enough for tonight. So as she served them each their hot cups of tea, they made themselves at home, and all agreed how fun this was, and should do it more often!
Meanwhile, as Vincent stepped up to his Father's threshold, he was very pleased to see he was still awake. And though he was eager to tell his Father about Paracelsus, Vincent didn't want to alarm him, and so he began by calmly saying, “Father, I have the tea you wish to give Mary.”
Closing the book he was reading, Jacob cheerfully said, “Good! Good! Mary’s tea. It shall be the perfect Christmas gift!”
Upon which Vincent nodded, and then replied, "I shall set the carton beside your Christmas tree Father..."
Appreciating his help in this matter, Jacob replied, "Splendid...thank you Vincent!"
And then upon contemplating the late hour of Vincent's visit, in a fatherly tone, Jacob mentioned, “Oh my, are you only now returning from Pai’s? It is late!”
Worrying more about telling his father about Paracelsus, than the impression Jacob had of how late his date went, Vincent off handedly explained, “Upon our return, Catherine and I assisted Rebecca, along with Laura, Jamie and Brooke with the last of the Christmas candles.”
With an approving nod, Jacob said, “I see! How kind of all of you to help the dear girl..."
And with a slight chuckle, added, "...and good to know she allowed the assistance!"
And then because Jacob was anxious to hear about his son's outing, he eagerly asked, "Well, tell me, how was your dinner engagement with Catherine?”
To which Vincent fondly responded, “It was a time…”
Vincent then carefully said, “Father, I will tell you more about my excursion up top later, but there is something more pressing I need to tell about. You see, I just spoke with a most penitent Paracelsus, and he gave me this...he called it a gift.”
Holding out his hand, Vincent showed Jacob the linen wrapped parcel. And then Vincent explained, “Paracelsus said I was to open this gift in your presence, because there is something of significance inside for you as well.”
As Jacob stood silent, listening to his son speak of his encounter with Paracelsus he felt hopeful, because he had always privately petitioned his old friend would one day find redemption, and so after hearing Vincent say he seemed penitent, Jacob contemplated, perhaps John had.
And after a profound silence, Vincent then asked, “Shall I open now Father?”
Still contemplative, Jacob snapped himself out of his thoughts, and said, “Yes, yes of course.”
And so Vincent untied the string and as he unraveled the linen, he found an antique compass inside.
When Jacob saw the vintage navigational piece, he recognized it at once, and said, “This was a keepsake, which Paracelsus, err John valued greatly! I believe it was his foster father who gave it to him. An heirloom of sorts...and you say he wanted you to have it?”
Nodding, Vincent repeated, “Yes, he said he had no one else to pass it on to. He seemed quite reflective Father. I must admit, Paracelsus seemed sincere, and when he spoke, he seemed changed.”
Vincent then unfurled the linen further, looking for the something more, which was to be given to his Father, when he felt something weighty. And unfolding once more, he then found a key within, and asked, “Do you suppose this is what Paracelsus wanted you to have?”
As Jacob took the key in his grasp, he sadly smiled, as he said, “So the old boy is relinquishing ownership eh? After all this time...”
Puzzled by his father’s comment, Vincent asked, “Ownership? Ownership of a key?”
Raising only his eyes, Jacob replied, "Yes of a key, however the significance of his giving it to me, is quite profound Vincent...you see it goes to an old trunk..."
And then walking over to stand beside the trunk in question, Jacob continued, "...this old trunk..."
To which Vincent responded, "I have always been curious about this trunk, as a boy, Devin and I always fancied it to be an old pirates treasure chest with golden coins, and jewels inside. Once when you caught us fiddling with the lock, you scolded us to leave it alone..."
With a raised brow, Jacob replied, "Yes...it has not been opened since the day the lid was closed and locked...over a third of a century ago..."
Jacob then thoughtfully inserted the key into the lock, he sighed before turning the key, and as the locking mechanism let go, he opened the old creaking lid. As Jacob looked inside, he then reverently lifted out an old King James Bible, a relic which had been safely encased there for all these years, until now.
Thoughtfully, Jacob then explained, “Many years ago, when John and I prepared the chambers for habitation, we found many things hidden in these tunnels. Some useful, some not, mostly useless rubbish, but there were a few items, which were quite valuable. One of the valuable was this Bible.”
Jacob ran his hand over the old leather binding, and continued, “Since we could not decide who should own this precious artifact, Paracelsus and I made a bargain, I would keep the chest, and he would have ownership of the key, and this Bible would remain in this chest until the day, one of us had possession of both.”
Vincent looked at the lock, and thought of how easy it would have been to pop it with out the key. And so he said, “But Father, Mouse could have opened this lock for you in an instant!”
Jacob nodded, and as he looked at his son, said, “I realize, but Paracelsus and I had an agreement you see, a gentlemen’s agreement I suppose you might say. Somehow, it didn’t seem right not to honor it. However now, for some reason, he now wants me to claim ownership.”
After Vincent asked to look at it, he flipped through the gold leafed pages and noted, "Father...this truly is a treasure..."
To which Jacob nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes...any museum would be proud to own and host this tome..."
It was then Vincent noticed there were a few other items in the chest. And so he brought out an old photograph, one of his Father and Paracelsus, and said, “You both were so young here.”
Jacob smiled as he looked at the picture and paradoxically said, “Yes, believe it not Vincent, I WAS young once.”
As an aura of melancholy settled upon him, he softly said, “However, alas, time marches on, and waits for no man.”
Jacob then turned his attention back to the antique compass, and sadly said, “I believe I understand John wanting to pass this on to you Vincent. He always felt you were HIS son…”
Vincent had wondered if he needed to reveal the emotional conversation he had with Paracelsus pertaining to his parent-ship. But since his Father brought it up, perhaps it would be comforting for him to know Paracelsus now felt Jacob truly was the one who was more worthy to be his parent.
And so after Vincent told his father, all Paracelsus had said about Jacob being courageous, and good, Vincent, then added, "And then Father, with humility, Paracelsus said, he believed you did the right thing taking me away all those years ago..."
Wearily Jacob sat down, and with his hands resting on his cane, he thoughtfully said, “I am glad he can see the sensibility of it all now.”
Vincent stood silent for a time, with his head turned away from his father, not wanting him to detect the anguish he was feeling over being the reason for the falling out between these two friends.
As Jacob came up out of his own thoughts, he noticed Vincent’s silence and asked, “What is it Vincent?”
Shaking his head, he softly said, “Nothing Father.”
Approaching his son, Jacob noticed the trembling of his dimpled chin, indicating he was holding back his emotions. Apathetically, he asked again, “Tell me Vincent.”
Turning to his Father with downcast eyes, Vincent apologetically said, “I am sorry to have caused this rift between you, and your friend John Pater.”
Putting his arm around Vincent, Jacob explained, “Our rifts were actually ongoing for some time, yes, it was going on long before Anna found you. Whatever mind bending experiments he was performing on himself, that is what changed him. Changed him into someone, none of us recognized anymore. Vincent, you were not the cause of our problems.”
Jacob then added, “And it wasn't only I who loved you, we all loved you, the whole community did, and knew after Anna died we had legitimate concerns, about leaving you alone with that mad man. No Vincent, I have no regrets in what I did taking you from him, I did the right thing. So you needn’t feel guilt of any kind."
Seeing a tear glistening in his son’s eyes, they shared an embrace, and then Jacob tried to shield the emotion in his own voice as he cheerfully said, “Now let’s see what else is in this old chest…shall we?”
Gathering his emotions, Vincent agreed, and as he knelt down to look inside, he picked up a chart of sorts. Handing it to his Father, he said, “Hmmm, this looks like a diary with some kind of log.”
Reaching over for the diary, Jacob slipped his glasses to the end of his nose, to better read what was written on the old yellowed pages. His voice quaked with emotion as he informed Vincent, “This is a journal of Devin’s development as an infant.”
Reading some of the “Proud Papa” comments he had written, made him smile as he read aloud, “Devin is growing by leaps and bounds! Only a month old, and he is so observant, looking all about at his surroundings. Time will tell of course, but I do believe he is ingenious..."
Jacobs voice became full of emotion as he continued to read, "...if only his Mother could be here at my side, watching him grow. She would be as proud as I, and would know what to do to nurture his momentous beginnings. Such a beautiful child, looking so much like his mother. Give me strength to look beyond my grief at this time, and in the days to come. The days to come. They seem to be looming like an endless dark corridor without my Gracey.”
Knowing his Father was widowed by Devin’s birth, Vincent asked, “It sounds like it was a difficult time for you, so much joy along with such immense sorrow.”
Meekly looking up at Vincent he said, “I missed Devin's Mother so much, and yes, it was difficult losing my young wife, whom I loved so very much. Grace would’ve been a wonderful mother, the kind of mother Devin needed.”
Sadly Jacob closed the cover, and said, “I know we shouldn’t beat ourselves up over past mistakes, but if I could do things over, I would have been a better father to Devin. I should have found some way to do so! I was just so consumed by my own grief.”
Vincent reminded Jacob, “I am sure you did the best you could, your writings show how much you loved your infant son, maybe you have sold yourself short all these years.”
Just then a voice broke through from the threshold saying, “Vincent is right, you were a good Father, maybe it was me, maybe I could have been a better son, a better brother.”
Both Vincent and Jacob looked toward the threshold, and with joy, both said Devin’s name!
Jacob stood then hobbled toward where his son waited. Yes, Devin waited, wanting to make sure he was accepted, and with an embrace Jacob welcomed his son back home.
To be continued
Chapter Eighteen
Meanwhile, the girls stayed behind to chat with Rebecca, and they urged her to try her new top on, so she did! And because she loved the top as well as the gesture, they all agreed to pop in at Mary's chamber so Rebecca could thank her.
So as they stood outside Mary's chamber, they loudly whispered, "Mary are you awake?"
To which Mary replied, "Oh lands sakes yes! Come in girls."
And when Mary noticed them all in their new designer tops, she exclaimed, "Ah, you are all wearing your new garments! Rebecca Dear, how do you like yours?"
As Rebecca hugged Mary, she replied, "I like it very much, thanks for making it for me Mary."
In reply, Mary warmly said, "You are so welcome."
And it was then as the girls looked around, they could see Mary was in the middle of gift wrapping, and so they asked, if she needed any help.
Saying she would love help wrapping the children's gifts, Mary then looked
about and then instructed, "Let's see, I have a bit of a system here, so what
I've been doing is popping an afghan from this chair, into either a red or green bag, which are stacked on this chair here, and then tie a contrasting colored bow around it, and golly where did I put the bows, oh yes, the bows are right behind me in this basket on the floor...AND then stack the wrapped gift over on the table in the corner...and that's about it...got it?"
Saying they had gotten it...the girls stepped into action! And as she worked with the bags, Rebecca asked, "Are these bags what you wanted the red and green candle dye for Mary?"
Saying they were, Mary added, "Since my doilies turned out to well...I thought why not try it on the burlap bags our potatoes come in. William has quite a few bags stockpiled, and with a little arm twisting, finally said I could have some."
Brooke checked them out closer, and said, "You died these? They turned out so cute! You sure have a gift working with material Mary."
To which Jamie whole-heartedly agreed, and then cleared her throat, as she hesitantly asked, "Which brings me to ask another favor Mary, I found another top in the same magazine...maybe when you have time...you could help us knock off another design?"
With a smile, Mary replied, "Oh dear, perhaps I shouldn't have introduced that terminology to you girls. Maybe we should use a more respectable term for our projects Jamie...but yes, when our calendar is clear, I would love to help."
So as the last afghan was bagged, Mary offered, "Let's have some sassafras tea shall we? I have the water steeping hot."
And so as Mary prepared their cups, she sighed, "Oh deary me, I am getting low on my tea supply...but luckily, we have enough for tonight. So as she served them each their hot cups of tea, they made themselves at home, and all agreed how fun this was, and should do it more often!
Meanwhile, as Vincent stepped up to his Father's threshold, he was very pleased to see he was still awake. And though he was eager to tell his Father about Paracelsus, Vincent didn't want to alarm him, and so he began by calmly saying, “Father, I have the tea you wish to give Mary.”
Closing the book he was reading, Jacob cheerfully said, “Good! Good! Mary’s tea. It shall be the perfect Christmas gift!”
Upon which Vincent nodded, and then replied, "I shall set the carton beside your Christmas tree Father..."
Appreciating his help in this matter, Jacob replied, "Splendid...thank you Vincent!"
And then upon contemplating the late hour of Vincent's visit, in a fatherly tone, Jacob mentioned, “Oh my, are you only now returning from Pai’s? It is late!”
Worrying more about telling his father about Paracelsus, than the impression Jacob had of how late his date went, Vincent off handedly explained, “Upon our return, Catherine and I assisted Rebecca, along with Laura, Jamie and Brooke with the last of the Christmas candles.”
With an approving nod, Jacob said, “I see! How kind of all of you to help the dear girl..."
And with a slight chuckle, added, "...and good to know she allowed the assistance!"
And then because Jacob was anxious to hear about his son's outing, he eagerly asked, "Well, tell me, how was your dinner engagement with Catherine?”
To which Vincent fondly responded, “It was a time…”
Vincent then carefully said, “Father, I will tell you more about my excursion up top later, but there is something more pressing I need to tell about. You see, I just spoke with a most penitent Paracelsus, and he gave me this...he called it a gift.”
Holding out his hand, Vincent showed Jacob the linen wrapped parcel. And then Vincent explained, “Paracelsus said I was to open this gift in your presence, because there is something of significance inside for you as well.”
As Jacob stood silent, listening to his son speak of his encounter with Paracelsus he felt hopeful, because he had always privately petitioned his old friend would one day find redemption, and so after hearing Vincent say he seemed penitent, Jacob contemplated, perhaps John had.
And after a profound silence, Vincent then asked, “Shall I open now Father?”
Still contemplative, Jacob snapped himself out of his thoughts, and said, “Yes, yes of course.”
And so Vincent untied the string and as he unraveled the linen, he found an antique compass inside.
When Jacob saw the vintage navigational piece, he recognized it at once, and said, “This was a keepsake, which Paracelsus, err John valued greatly! I believe it was his foster father who gave it to him. An heirloom of sorts...and you say he wanted you to have it?”
Nodding, Vincent repeated, “Yes, he said he had no one else to pass it on to. He seemed quite reflective Father. I must admit, Paracelsus seemed sincere, and when he spoke, he seemed changed.”
Vincent then unfurled the linen further, looking for the something more, which was to be given to his Father, when he felt something weighty. And unfolding once more, he then found a key within, and asked, “Do you suppose this is what Paracelsus wanted you to have?”
As Jacob took the key in his grasp, he sadly smiled, as he said, “So the old boy is relinquishing ownership eh? After all this time...”
Puzzled by his father’s comment, Vincent asked, “Ownership? Ownership of a key?”
Raising only his eyes, Jacob replied, "Yes of a key, however the significance of his giving it to me, is quite profound Vincent...you see it goes to an old trunk..."
And then walking over to stand beside the trunk in question, Jacob continued, "...this old trunk..."
To which Vincent responded, "I have always been curious about this trunk, as a boy, Devin and I always fancied it to be an old pirates treasure chest with golden coins, and jewels inside. Once when you caught us fiddling with the lock, you scolded us to leave it alone..."
With a raised brow, Jacob replied, "Yes...it has not been opened since the day the lid was closed and locked...over a third of a century ago..."
Jacob then thoughtfully inserted the key into the lock, he sighed before turning the key, and as the locking mechanism let go, he opened the old creaking lid. As Jacob looked inside, he then reverently lifted out an old King James Bible, a relic which had been safely encased there for all these years, until now.
Thoughtfully, Jacob then explained, “Many years ago, when John and I prepared the chambers for habitation, we found many things hidden in these tunnels. Some useful, some not, mostly useless rubbish, but there were a few items, which were quite valuable. One of the valuable was this Bible.”
Jacob ran his hand over the old leather binding, and continued, “Since we could not decide who should own this precious artifact, Paracelsus and I made a bargain, I would keep the chest, and he would have ownership of the key, and this Bible would remain in this chest until the day, one of us had possession of both.”
Vincent looked at the lock, and thought of how easy it would have been to pop it with out the key. And so he said, “But Father, Mouse could have opened this lock for you in an instant!”
Jacob nodded, and as he looked at his son, said, “I realize, but Paracelsus and I had an agreement you see, a gentlemen’s agreement I suppose you might say. Somehow, it didn’t seem right not to honor it. However now, for some reason, he now wants me to claim ownership.”
After Vincent asked to look at it, he flipped through the gold leafed pages and noted, "Father...this truly is a treasure..."
To which Jacob nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes...any museum would be proud to own and host this tome..."
It was then Vincent noticed there were a few other items in the chest. And so he brought out an old photograph, one of his Father and Paracelsus, and said, “You both were so young here.”
Jacob smiled as he looked at the picture and paradoxically said, “Yes, believe it not Vincent, I WAS young once.”
As an aura of melancholy settled upon him, he softly said, “However, alas, time marches on, and waits for no man.”
Jacob then turned his attention back to the antique compass, and sadly said, “I believe I understand John wanting to pass this on to you Vincent. He always felt you were HIS son…”
Vincent had wondered if he needed to reveal the emotional conversation he had with Paracelsus pertaining to his parent-ship. But since his Father brought it up, perhaps it would be comforting for him to know Paracelsus now felt Jacob truly was the one who was more worthy to be his parent.
And so after Vincent told his father, all Paracelsus had said about Jacob being courageous, and good, Vincent, then added, "And then Father, with humility, Paracelsus said, he believed you did the right thing taking me away all those years ago..."
Wearily Jacob sat down, and with his hands resting on his cane, he thoughtfully said, “I am glad he can see the sensibility of it all now.”
Vincent stood silent for a time, with his head turned away from his father, not wanting him to detect the anguish he was feeling over being the reason for the falling out between these two friends.
As Jacob came up out of his own thoughts, he noticed Vincent’s silence and asked, “What is it Vincent?”
Shaking his head, he softly said, “Nothing Father.”
Approaching his son, Jacob noticed the trembling of his dimpled chin, indicating he was holding back his emotions. Apathetically, he asked again, “Tell me Vincent.”
Turning to his Father with downcast eyes, Vincent apologetically said, “I am sorry to have caused this rift between you, and your friend John Pater.”
Putting his arm around Vincent, Jacob explained, “Our rifts were actually ongoing for some time, yes, it was going on long before Anna found you. Whatever mind bending experiments he was performing on himself, that is what changed him. Changed him into someone, none of us recognized anymore. Vincent, you were not the cause of our problems.”
Jacob then added, “And it wasn't only I who loved you, we all loved you, the whole community did, and knew after Anna died we had legitimate concerns, about leaving you alone with that mad man. No Vincent, I have no regrets in what I did taking you from him, I did the right thing. So you needn’t feel guilt of any kind."
Seeing a tear glistening in his son’s eyes, they shared an embrace, and then Jacob tried to shield the emotion in his own voice as he cheerfully said, “Now let’s see what else is in this old chest…shall we?”
Gathering his emotions, Vincent agreed, and as he knelt down to look inside, he picked up a chart of sorts. Handing it to his Father, he said, “Hmmm, this looks like a diary with some kind of log.”
Reaching over for the diary, Jacob slipped his glasses to the end of his nose, to better read what was written on the old yellowed pages. His voice quaked with emotion as he informed Vincent, “This is a journal of Devin’s development as an infant.”
Reading some of the “Proud Papa” comments he had written, made him smile as he read aloud, “Devin is growing by leaps and bounds! Only a month old, and he is so observant, looking all about at his surroundings. Time will tell of course, but I do believe he is ingenious..."
Jacobs voice became full of emotion as he continued to read, "...if only his Mother could be here at my side, watching him grow. She would be as proud as I, and would know what to do to nurture his momentous beginnings. Such a beautiful child, looking so much like his mother. Give me strength to look beyond my grief at this time, and in the days to come. The days to come. They seem to be looming like an endless dark corridor without my Gracey.”
Knowing his Father was widowed by Devin’s birth, Vincent asked, “It sounds like it was a difficult time for you, so much joy along with such immense sorrow.”
Meekly looking up at Vincent he said, “I missed Devin's Mother so much, and yes, it was difficult losing my young wife, whom I loved so very much. Grace would’ve been a wonderful mother, the kind of mother Devin needed.”
Sadly Jacob closed the cover, and said, “I know we shouldn’t beat ourselves up over past mistakes, but if I could do things over, I would have been a better father to Devin. I should have found some way to do so! I was just so consumed by my own grief.”
Vincent reminded Jacob, “I am sure you did the best you could, your writings show how much you loved your infant son, maybe you have sold yourself short all these years.”
Just then a voice broke through from the threshold saying, “Vincent is right, you were a good Father, maybe it was me, maybe I could have been a better son, a better brother.”
Both Vincent and Jacob looked toward the threshold, and with joy, both said Devin’s name!
Jacob stood then hobbled toward where his son waited. Yes, Devin waited, wanting to make sure he was accepted, and with an embrace Jacob welcomed his son back home.
To be continued
Chapter Eighteen
| dd |
